Are camera guided robot systems available for my company?

Nowadays, every industrial company faces new challenges. Particularly problematic are international competitors, who are increasingly penetrating domestic markets. Especially competitors from low-wage countries offer their products at prices so low, they are not competitive for domestic companies. How can you still remain competitive in this situation? What options do camera Guided Robot Systems offer?

Computers and robots are developing rapidly and now offer opportunities that seemed impossible years ago. Meanwhile, robots with cameras and sensors can automatically switch to different tasks and they can distinguish different products by means of database synchronization.

With these camera-controlled robots, the images are not only taken, but also analyzed in real time. This results in many practical applications within the industrial and technology sector.

By means of bin-picking, these robots are able to sort unsorted products within their proximity and perform quality checks at the same time. Products with a defective shape or differences in dimensional accuracy are automatically sorted out of the stack by the robot. The camera-controlled robot system can also count products and fill a pallet or bin with the desired delivery quantity. In addition, bar and QR codes with additional information can be read by the robot.

The possibilities of machine vision are very diverse and thanks to continuous developments, more and more applications are founded. Implementing such a system is a big decision and must be carefully thought through.

The current situation must be compared with the desired situation. Which goals or results should be achieved? What effects does automation have on the production process and the employees? What value does this investment have for the production and therefore also for the customer?

The following questions can be asked when choosing Vision Guided Robotics.

The following questions are important when you choose for camera-guided robots:

Can this new technology be integrated into an existing production line?

All technological and organizational business processes that can be influenced by automation must be investigated. The question of the possible location, the work to be performed and the influence on earlier or later production steps must be considered, as well as the legal framework.

Can production be faster or simplified?

Procedures that are physically demanding, time-consuming, repetitive or have a risk of injury must first be investigated to see if they can be automated. Employees who perform physically demanding tasks or who have to carry out repetitive activities make statistically more mistakes. Automation through vision guided robotics offers support, reduction of costs and limited health risks.

Does automation lead to a faster product output?

If more products can be produced at the same time as a result of automation, it must be investigated whether the extra quantity can also be sold. This requires a broader market survey.

Will quality improve, reducing the amount of rejects?

Improved quality leads to fewer errors. This increases the number of satisfied customers, who in turn recommend the improved products. Here, however, it must be checked whether the installation can be expanded should the demand increase in the future.

Can the investment be financed?

To answer this question, the planned investment must be thoroughly calculated. The level of the investment can be reduced if existing technology and software can be integrated in the new system. However, if these parts are old or not integrable, the investment will be higher.

Does automation offer financial benefits?

This question should make clear how much influence automation has on costs. Investments bring along interest and repayments which have to be considered. This is the only way to reliably determine how long it takes for product automation to repay themself.

These are the most important questions that need to be answered before you make the investment decision. In addition, every company is unique which brings different situations and questions per company. This diversity of our projects gave our Teqram engineers extensive knowledge and experience. We are happy to help you with planning and execution of your automation projects.